Tag Archives: National Weather Service

February 14: The pond at the Traylor Zoo in Emporia is thawing and happy ducks are waddling through the snow and ice to swim and bathe in the water.

February 19: Ottawa is hit by a thunderstorm, which drops pea-sized to nickel-sized hail. Thanks to the piles of not-yet-melted snow, much of the hail sticks around for hours.

February 20: Large rain clouds drift over the snow-free hills along I-70 near Topeka.

February 25: Jim and I attend the National Weather Service’s annual Storm Safety and Spotter Training event in Franklin County. Audra Hennecke did an amazing job talking about the events of the past year. Most interesting takeaway: helmets should be part of your emergency preparedness kit. After talking about tornadoes for 90 minutes, we left Celebration Hall to find snow.

The National Weather Service in Topeka has announced the dates and locations for this year’s storm spotter and weather safety talks. The presentations are a great way to learn about how to visually identify potentially dangerous storms, develop a safety plan, and understand the role of meteorologists and local emergency personnel when bad weather strikes. Even if you’ve attended an NWS presentation before, it’s worth going again: the field of meteorology and emergency management is constantly changing as technology develops.

Other states offer storm spotter programs, too. Check with your local links for presentations in your area.

After two substantial snowstorms, we enjoyed a wonderfully dreary, rainy day here in Ottawa. I’ve always loved dark days with rain and thunder; some of my favorite memories of being in old WPA school buildings include those moments when the sky was dark as night outside and the windows rattled with the storm.

A few stubborn piles of snow cling to the grass as heavy rain pounds on Ottawa, Kansas. Tree branches that came down during the February 26 snowstorm still litter many yards in our neighborhood.

Today’s thunderstorm is also a reminder that we’re about to move into the traditional season for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. If you’re in Kansas and want to learn more about how these storms develop and what you can do to maintain your safety, check the National Weather Service list of Spotter Talks. Their meteorologists do a fantastic job covering the basics of what conditions create severe storms and the precautions you can take at home or on the road.